After an overnight thunderstorm, this morning we went on a guided tour of a Cypress Swamp with a very knowledgeable volunteer naturalist. It has been a very dry winter in southern Florida, but after last night's rain (and a tornado watch) this ecosystem sprang into life.
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The swamp and Cypress knees.
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Although Cypress is a conifer it is also deciduous and grows very tall and straight.
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Resurrection ferns can look quite dead during a dry spell, but after a rain they quickly rejuvenate, hence their name.
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Resurrection Fern growing on a dead branch.
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A large bromeliad on a Live Oak branch.
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Resurrection Fern on an old Live Oak trunk.
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This area is home to a large variety of aerophytes.
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A bromeiad just ready to bloom.
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Lichens on a dead branch
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A large flock of Ibises, a gregarious bird, were continuously flying about the swamp and probing with their sensitive curved beaks in the fresh mud.
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A solitary great egret in the midst of probing Ibises
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Four Ibises checking me out watching them.
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And lastly, a Red-shouldered Hawk perched in a Live Oak branch.
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